The Cage
by Horsefeathers103
Summary: Greg's been hiding something from Beth, and he decides to surprise her with it.
1. Suspense

Disclaimer: I do not own Greg Sanders or anything relating to CSI. They belong to Jerry Bruckheimer, the genius that he is. Beth and the rest of the characters are mine, though.

Author's note: For those of you who haven't read Chemistry, just know that Beth and Greg are newly married at this point.

* * *

Greg stood, lifted Beth off of the porch swing and pulled her close to him as he spoke. "There's something I want to show you."

"And what would that be?"

"It's a surprise. "

"Ah, I see. It's a surprise. So what do you have planned?"

"You just don't get it do you." With that, he took her hand and spun her around in a circle until they were face to face again. "If I told you, silly, it wouldn't be a surprise. Now stop asking me questions. It won't get you anywhere."

"But Greg…" She tried her best to look as pitiful as she could. She looked at him with the biggest, saddest puppy eyes that she could conjure up.

"Oh, don't you even go there Beth. I have worked up an immunity to your pathetic weapons of destruction a.k.a. those eyes." She pointed her finger at him in defiance and then let out a sigh of defeat.

"Alright, I surrender. But can we go now? The suspense is killing me." She raised her hands in mock surrender and Greg took her right hand and led her gracefully down the walkway towards the car. She could tell by the sparkle in his eye that he was up to something, and she could only guess as to what it was.

He led her to the passenger side of the car and opened the door for her. She slid in and waited patiently for him to settle into his seat. He started the car and they sat in a comfortable silence as he backed down the driveway. When they had been on the road for roughly ten minutes, she started to speak.

"Greg, are we-"

"No."

"But can't you just-"

"No."

"But I just want to-"

"No."

"But-"

"No."

"Alright, alright, you win. I won't bother you anymore. I will let you rule the evening as the dictator you are and I will simply be your humble servant and blindly follow your every whim."

"Now that's more like it!"

"Greg!" She playfully hit him on the shoulder, and put the matter to rest. She took note of her surroundings and realized that she had never been to this part of Vegas before. Again, she wondered what Greg had in store for the evening.

They had been driving for approximately half an hour when Greg said, "We're almost there. It's just up the street."

"Greg, where are we?"

"Does the word surprise mean anything to you?" She stared at him with a blank look on her face. "Apparently not."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes until Greg turned left onto a side street and parked in a small parking lot. To her, the whole area seemed to be a little bit on the sketchy side. "Greg…"

"Can't you just wait a few more minutes? The parking lot isn't the surprise." His laughter and apparent comfort with the area calmed Beth's mind and she shook off her uneasiness and prepared to enjoy the evening.

Greg led her to the back door of a dirty-looking building. He knocked on the door and someone opened it just enough to see who was knocking. Greg was the first to speak. "Hey, Frank. It's me. You want to let us in?"

"You know Greg, I can't let just anyone in this place." Frank opened the door all the way and he whistled when he saw Beth. "So this is the Great and Wonderful Beth that we've all heard so much about. My name is Frank. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Frank was a tall, muscular man. He was the kind of guy you wouldn't want to meet alone in a dark alley. His lip and eyebrow were pierced, among other things. He had short brown hair that was gelled forward and spiked up in the front. He was wearing loose fitting blue jeans and a tight black muscle tee. She assumed from his appearance that he was the crass biker-type and was pleasantly surprised when he spoke to her. He actually seemed to be a pretty good guy, and she felt bad for jumping to conclusions. "It's a pleasure to meet you, too, Frank. So, would you mind telling me where we are?"

Greg spoke before Frank had the chance to answer her. "Now Beth, that's cheating." He turned and whispered something to Frank who then smiled and nodded. "Beth, Frank here will take you to your seat. I have a few loose ends to tie up, and I will be with you shortly." Apparently Greg could see her tense up. "Honestly Beth, you have nothing to worry about. You of all people should know that appearances can be deceiving. You need to rely on the hard evidence. Now just follow Frank and enjoy the evening." With that, he slipped around Frank and through the door.

"Beth, Greg's a great guy and he has quite an evening planned for you. He's actually been planning it for quite some time now." He turned to enter the building, and motioned for her to follow. He led her through the door and down a small, dark hallway. She could hear voices and music coming from every direction. The rhythm of the music was contagious and she found herself starting to move to its beat.

When Frank led her around a corner, Beth was assaulted with lights, music, and a crowd of people. It took her a few moments to adjust to the sudden onslaught of light and sound, but when she did, she was amazed at what she saw.

* * *


	2. Beth Meets the Crowd

* * *

Greg had apparently taken her to dance club. But this club wasn't one of those tasteless places that are visited once and never again. This place was clean, and looked like a lot of fun. There were strobe lights, disco balls, and every type of light imaginable. The walls were painted with black light designs that glowed in iridescent purples, blues and greens. There was a live band playing and their music was intoxicating. People were dancing on the large dance floor and getting lost in the music. Frank led her to a small table towards the back and invited her to take a seat. He told her that Greg would be out shortly. She continued to observe her surroundings until the band stopped playing and the crowd let out a sudden roar of applause and cheering. Beth assumed that they were cheering for the band and she turned to see what was happening onstage. She was shocked to see that the crowd was not in a frenzy over the band, but rather over the man holding the microphone. The man onstage was none other than Greg himself. Beth could only watch as Greg tried in vain to quiet the crowd. After a few solid minutes of cheering, the crowd began to settle down. Greg waited for a few moments before he began to speak.

"I want to thank you all for coming out tonight. I know it's been a while since I've been here with you guys, and I want you to know that I haven't forgotten you." With this, the crowd began to cheer and shout again. Greg raised his hands to indicate that he had more to say. "The reason that I've been AWOL is that…" Greg paused in order to increase the dramatic tension hanging in the air. After a few moments, and the crowd reacted by shouting at him, urging him to continue. "Okay, okay, you guys are like vultures. The reason that I've been AWOL is that I've been chilling with the ladies. Well, actually just one lady." The crowd began to whistle and holler at him. Beth watched Greg and realized that there was something very big that he had been hiding from her. The way he worked the crowd was too natural. She began to wonder what he had been hiding from her. She listened as he continued his speech. "Some of you may know her, but I'm guessing that most of you don't. It's been rumored that we could pass as brother and sister… But I'd like to point out right now that we are not brother and sister, as that would be wrong, not to mention illegal. Let's see if we can get this fine lady up on the stage." The crowd started to shout and cheer. Beth made eye contact with Greg, and he made a gesture inviting her up to the stage. With an enormous smile on her face, Beth stood and began to make her way towards the front.

"Well ladies and gentlemen, it seems as though the lovely lady of the evening has agreed to introduce herself." The crowd began to roar in approval and parted for Beth as she walked toward the stage.

Greg placed his microphone in its stand and walked over to the stairs on the left of the stage. He took Beth's hand and led her to center stage. When they reached their destination, Beth took a large bow. The crowd began to cheer even louder, and all Beth could do was laugh. The crowd loved her. Greg took the microphone from the stand and began to introduce her.

"Ladies and gentlemen, meet Beth Sanders." The crowd began to roar one more time as they realized that the mysterious lady was Greg's wife. Greg put his hand over the microphone and spoke directly to Beth. "These guys love you. And they're easy to please. Would you care to say a few words?" Beth smiled and figured that she was already on the stage, so she may as well make the most of the moment.

"How are you guys doing tonight?" The crowd shouted and roared in response. "I'll take that as an 'awesome.' As this handsome gentleman so kindly pointed out, I am Beth Sanders, his wife. And apparently you all seem to know something about him that I don't. But I figure that before the night is over, I'll be in on your little secret." She handed the microphone back to Greg and let him resume his mastery of the crowd.

"I'd like to take this moment to apologize to all of the lovely young ladies in the audience. You missed your window of opportunity. I'm no longer a single man. But if you want my number, just ask. Maybe we could work something out." When Beth realized what Greg was saying, she punched him in the arm and took the microphone from his hand.

"To all of you lovely young ladies in the audience, I just want you to know that this man is mine, whether he likes it or not." With that, she threw her arms around Greg's neck and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. The crowd cheered in applause. When the kiss was over, she handed the microphone back to Greg.

"Whoo, is it getting hot in here or is it just me?" Greg played with his collar for effect. "Well, it looks as though I'll have to withdraw the offer, sorry ladies. And now that all of the formalities are done and over with, I'd like to get on with the evening. What do you guys think?" The crowd roared in agreement. Greg put the microphone back in the stand and headed off stage. The band quickly settled in and began to play. Greg took Beth and began to head through the crowd towards the table the she had originally been sitting at. As they walked, people congratulated her and Greg. They also asked him if he planned on playing anytime soon. Greg responded by telling them that he planned on playing in the near future. When they finally reached the back table, Beth asked him flat out what was going on.

* * *


	3. AFIS

"Well Greg, it seems as though you have quite a few secrets about you. Would you care to share a few of them?"

"Okay, let's start at the beginning. This is a dance club called The Cage. Ten years ago, it was nothing more than an abandoned warehouse. Are you ready for a flashback sequence?"

"Oh yea, I'm ready. Bring on the flashbacks."

"About thirteen years ago, four of my friends and I started a band. We called ourselves AFIS."

"AFIS? You named yourselves after the automated fingerprint identification system?"

"You laugh. But we thought it sounded cool, so we went with it. We played in my garage every chance we got. After about two years, we had a small fan club. This fan club grew as time went on. We started looking into renting places and throwing dance parties. After about six months of playing in garages and gyms, we had quite a following. We had earned a decent amount of money, so we decided that we would look for a permanent place to play. We looked around for a few weeks and we finally came to this abandoned warehouse. I talked to my mom about this place and she proposed the idea that we go and talk to the owner. The owner was a man named George Collins. He loved kids and when he heard us play, he made a deal with us. He told us that as long as we would let him come to our concerts for free and we would give him a small percent of our profits, we could have the place. We were so excited that we practically jumped on Collins. We had papers made up and made the deal official. He told us that we could do whatever we wanted with the place, and we took him up on his word. Collins should actually be here tonight, but that's a little off the topic.

"We wanted this place to be perfect before we had our first concert, so we rented a few more gyms so that we could raise more money. After we had raised a considerable sum of money, we bought lights, paint, tables, chairs, and the flooring. Aside from a few minor changes, this place has been the same since we first opened it up. Between the five of us, this place is pretty well cared for. I personally haven't been around the place for a while, and the crowd has missed me, as you can tell. Out of the five of us, I was the most comfortable in front of a crowd, so I was the one that the crowd got to know the most. After a few years of playing here, this place built up quite a reputation. We started having bands coming from far and near just to play here, at The Cage. AFIS started playing less and less, and that was fine by us, but we still put in appearances and made ourselves known to the people here. I became the 'master of ceremonies,' introducing all of the bands and keeping the crowd happy. AFIS hasn't played for a year or so now because we've been so successful at this place, that we haven't had a need to play. Lately, I've been out a lot. Between work, work, and work…and you, I've been pretty busy. So you can see why the crowd is pretty excited to see me here."

"Wow Greg, I had no idea. That is very cool. What instrument did you play?"

"I played the drums. And I am a pretty damn good drummer if I do say so myself. I also sing background vocals."

"Very cool. But I do have one question. Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"You know, I'm not really sure. I don't like to toot my own horn, and I thought it would be awkward telling the guys at work that I own a club."

"Do you miss playing with the guys?"

"There are times that I do. But then again, there are times that I don't."

"When those guys asked you if you were going to play soon, you said something about playing in the near future. And when exactly would that be?"

"It's funny that you should ask that. Tonight is a very special night. On this night, exactly ten years ago, we first opened The Cage to the public. All five of us are here tonight, and we plan on putting on a surprise concert. No one knows, and our presence here is not a big deal, since we're here on and off."

The band that had been playing ended their song and the crowd cheered and shouted out their approval. When the crowd had finally settled down a bit, the lead singer began to speak. "I just want to let you guys know that we love it here. You guys are great. You are an awesome audience. When I was asked if I would introduce this next band, I was shocked speechless. This next band has been around for quite some time, and I'm sure that some of you die-hard Cage faithfuls will know exactly who I am talking about. These five guys started this club ten years ago on this very day. They have made this place all that it is today and if you look hard enough, you can find at least one of them here almost every night. They put so much effort into this place, and it shows. For those of you that don't know who I'm talking about, I would like to introduce to you a band that is so awesome that words alone are a great injustice to them. Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for the founders of The Cage, AFIS!" At this point, the audience went out of control. People everywhere were screaming and shouting. This was the loudest that Beth had heard the crowd all evening. She had no idea that Greg's band was this popular. As Beth took in the scene, Greg stood up and began to make his way to the front. Scanning the crowd she noticed four other men making their way towards the stage.


	4. Introductions

* * *

The five men reached the stage a few minutes later and the crowd was still in an uproar. Greg removed the microphone from the stand and waited a few more minutes for the crowd to quiet down a bit. Beth didn't know how to react when she recognized two of the band members. On Greg's left stood Warrick, and on his right stood Nick. She was unsure as to who the other two members were, but she was sure she would know them soon enough. As she was laughing to herself, the crowd quieted enough for Greg to speak. "Well, it seems as though you guys remember us. That's good, considering that we own the place. Now, I gotta ask this one question. What is it you guys like about us so much?" Greg looked at his fellow band members, searching for an answer. All he got were shrugs. "I mean, we're old, Alan doesn't shower, Tim's going bald, I'm married, Nick and Warrick… well, they're just Nick and Warrick, enough said." Greg was laughing as he introduced his fellow band members by insulting them. The crowd roared even louder than before in response to Greg's introduction. Beth noted that he was just kidding; all five of the men were rather good-looking. "Okay, okay, so maybe we are getting old, I mean 28 is really up there in years, and maybe we're no longer the sex symbols that we once were, except for maybe me." At this comment, Nick and Warrick loomed over the small chemist and he shrieked. "Guys, I was just kidding. Please let me live. You can't play too many songs without the drummer. Now I say we put this behind us and play!" With that, Greg and the others made their way to their respective instruments. Greg shut off the wireless microphone and placed in his back pocket as he made his way toward his drum set. Warrick turned and headed toward the keyboard, and Nick made his way off stage, only to return with a bass guitar. Alan picked up an electric guitar and made some adjustments to his amp. And Tim picked up a third guitar and set up in front of a microphone.

As AFIS started to play, Beth could only watch in amazement. They were awesome. She classified them as a sort of punk rock band. The sounds of the guitars, drums, and keyboard blended into an incredible combination. Their beat was irresistible and their lyrics were filled with humorous approaches to anything and everything. Beth found herself unable to sit. She stood up and made her way into the crowd that was dancing directly in front of the stage. She found herself dancing to the music and getting lost in its rhythm. She was only vaguely conscious of the lyrics, but she was having so much fun that it didn't seem to matter. The band played a few more songs and everyone was having an incredible time as AFIS played away. She had no idea that Greg, Nick, and Warrick were in a band. She knew that Warrick played the piano, but Greg and Nick had kept their secrets well.

When the fifth song ended, the crowd once again began to cheer as loud as possible. Greg rose from his drum set and pulled the cordless microphone out of his back pocket. He turned it on and began to speak when the audience finally quieted down. "Well, it seems as though you guys approve. This is good considering that I would personally have to escort you out if you didn't. But right now, I have something that I want to do. And I'm sure that you guys won't have a problem with it, and if you do, you can bring any issues to my good friend Frank. I would like to share a dance with my best friend and loving wife, Beth. I have asked the guys up here if they can handle playing a slow song for once, and they said that they would give it a try. Let's give these guys a real round of applause." The crowd responded to Greg's prompting by once again cheering as loud as they could.

Greg shut the microphone off and returned it to his pocket. As he headed off stage, Alan put his guitar down and settled himself into Greg's drum set. Greg walked down the stairs leading to the dance floor and as he did, the lights began to dim and the room was filled with a surreal light. The crowd that surrounded Beth quickly stepped away, leaving her in a circle of open space. Greg approached her and took her hand.

"Would you care to dance?"

Beth could only nod her head. As he put his arms around her waist, the band began to play. She placed her arms around Greg's neck and pressed herself against him. She could find no words that could express her love for him. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she thought of the man who loved her enough to do all of this for her.

The crowd had moved out of the way and was watching reverently as their beloved and eccentric emcee danced with the girl of his dreams. A few couples had begun to slow dance, but for the most part, those present simply watched Beth and Greg dance.

When the song was over, Greg leaned in and kissed Beth. This elicited a few whistles from the kids in the crowd. When the kiss ended, the crowd broke into applause. There was not a whole lot of screaming and yelling, just clapping, and the occasional holler. Beth and Greg took a bow before their audience, and Greg led his wife back up to the stage with him.

* * *


	5. The Triangle

When they reached the stage, Greg pulled out his microphone and clicked it on. "Well, ladies and gentlemen of the crowd, I thank you for allowing Beth and I to share the evening with you. This has meant a lot to me and I'm sure it's meant a lot to Beth-"

Before he could finish his thought, a familiar voice broke in. Nick had grabbed a microphone from one of the stands and interrupted Greg's rambling. "Greg, you're not doing yourself any justice. Being serious is not one of your foremost virtues, so I've decided to take over." With that, he shifted his attention to Beth. "Beth, if I could have you step this way please." Beth looked at Greg and he just shrugged his shoulders. She did as she was told, and she maneuvered around Greg so that she was standing on Nick's right. "Please kneel." Beth stifled a laugh, and obeyed the odd command. Nick then turned his attention to the crowd. Nick apparently had something planned that Greg didn't know about. Beth stole a glance at Warrick, and the twinkle in his eyes betrayed his feigned ignorance. Beth was brought back to the present by Nick's voice. "Ladies and gentlemen of The Cage, we have something very special for you tonight. We are going to do something that has never been done before, and may never be done again." Nick paused as the crowd cheered in approval. Nick turned his attention back to Beth, who was still kneeling on the floor. "Beth Sanders, husband of Greg Sanders, we, the members of AFIS, have come together to make a decision. We have decided to make you an honorary AFIS member." The crowd began to shout, holler, whistle, and scream. When the crowd had finally calmed, Nick continued with his pompous ceremony. "I, Nick Stokes, dub you, Beth Sanders…" Here, he took his microphone and tapped each of Beth's shoulders in the traditional knighting ceremonies of the days of old. "…Mrs. Beth Sanders, the trianglist." Beth almost died laughing, for as Nick spoke, Warrick appeared before her with a shiny new triangle. The crowd was also laughing hysterically. Beth stood gracefully, and accepted the gift from Warrick.

Someone in the crowd started shouting, "Speech, speech," and soon everyone was chanting. Greg had been laughing so hard, he had tears in his eyes as he offered Beth his cordless microphone. Beth took the microphone and faced the crowd.

"I'd like to thank all of the little people that made me who I am today. They made great stepping stones. And thank you to my loving audience; I never could have done it without you… Well, actually, I could have, and I did. So never mind, I don't really thank you." Beth bowed low and then blew kisses to her audience. Everyone was laughing again, and Beth's smile stretched from ear to ear. "But honestly guys, I would really like to express my appreciation to all of you here, and thank you so very much for making me feel like I'm a part of this family. Before this night, I had no idea that this place even existed, and now, I feel like I belong here. Thank you so very much." The crowd erupted into applause.

While Beth spoke, Nick and Warrick had returned to their instruments and began to fiddle with them. Greg stole the microphone from Beth before she could go on. He addressed the crowd as he spoke. "You'll have to excuse my wife. She has a tendency to blow things out of proportion." When Beth heard that, she punched Greg in the shoulder. "See the abuse I have to put up with? Well, while Beth tries to regain her composure, we have one final song that we would like to play for you. This one is not an original, and we'd like to apologize for that, but we felt that it was so very appropriate for the moment. So here it is, The Last Song by The All-American Rejects."

Greg shut off his microphone and returned it to his back pocket. As he returned to his drum set, Beth settled herself into a spot between Nick on the bass guitar, and Warrick, on the keyboard. She held her triangle high, and was ready to play. Warrick couldn't help but laugh when he saw her standing there with her simple instrument and such joy on her face.

After the band members were settled in, Warrick began the song. He played a few measures of chords and then from behind her, she heard Greg's voice. She turned to look at him and he locked his eyes on hers as he sang the opening lines of the song.

"This may be the last thing that I write for long. Can you hear me smiling when I sing this song, for you, and only you."

Moments after Greg finished the lines, the rest of the band kicked in. Beth clanged her triangle in time to the beat, knowing full well that no one could hear her, but that didn't matter. She was enjoying herself too much.


	6. Stepping Down

Beth sang along with the band, as was most of the crowd. Beth knew the song well, for it was one of her favorites. It was about leaving and being missed. Beth wasn't sure if there was a hidden meaning behind the song, or if someone had simply suggested it. She put the thought out of her head as she continued to clang away on her triangle and enjoy the music.

When the song drew to a close, Beth scanned the crowd. What she saw surprised her. She could see disappointment in the eyes of many of the teenagers and young adults who were present. This confirmed her thoughts regarding the hidden meaning behind the song.

When the song, finally ended, the crowd did not work itself into a frenzied uproar, but rather, fell silent. Greg and the other band members stepped forward as they prepared to address the forlorn fans. Greg slowly pulled his cordless microphone out of his back pocket and turned it on. "Well, by the looks on your faces, I'm sure most of you have figured it out. AFIS is stepping down." The crowd remained silent out of respect for what their host was saying. "We're not breaking up; we're only letting someone else take the lead. We'll still be around every now and then, but we have decided that it's time to let a younger group take over. Warrick, Nick, Alan, Tim, and I will still be the owners of The Cage, but our lives have gone in different directions, and it's getting hard to get together to play. So we just wanted to formally let you know that we're stepping out of the limelight."

No one in the crowd was sure of how to respond. Everyone who was present loved AFIS, and there were no exceptions. Finally, someone began to clap, and then another, and finally, the whole crowd began to applaud. There were no hoots or hollers, just a heartfelt applause from adoring fans.

Greg had to regain his composure before he addressed the crowd once again. "Wow, I feel loved. Thank you, guys. This really means a lot to all of us up here. Thank you for not making this harder than it already is. Before we go, we want you to know that if and when we do decide to play in the future, we will give you plenty of notice so that you can invite everyone you know and make us feel really good." Only Greg would crack jokes at such a somber moment. "Well, that's all we've got for you guys this evening. There are plenty more bands scheduled for those of you who decide to stick around, and me and the guys will be around if you want to get a hold of one of us. Thanks again everyone, and we hope you enjoy the rest of your evening." The crowd broke into applause as Greg and his fellow band members turned and began to pack up their instruments.

Another band began to move their equipment onto the stage as AFIS was moving their equipment off. By the time Beth finally caught up with Greg, the band had begun to play and the crowd was rocking once again. Beth threw her arms around Greg's neck. "Wow, that was awesome. Thank you so much for bringing me along tonight. I really enjoyed myself."

"Hey, I aim to please. I'm glad you liked it. Now, if you'll excuse me, Beth, my adoring fans await me." And with that, he flashed Beth a toothy smile and gallantly marched toward the exit that would bring him back around to be with the crowd.

Beth watched her husband and friends as they mingled with the crowd. Whole groups would stop moving and crowd in around the band member closest to them, asking them questions, trying to get autographs, and trying to put their two cents in. Beth couldn't help but laugh as Greg, Nick, and Warrick were seemingly swallowed up by the masses of people. She let her mind wander as the band's music played on. If Greg had managed to keep this part of his life a secret from her all of these years, what else could he be hiding? Beth smiled in spite of herself. Greg was a man full of surprises and she found herself thinking that she was the luckiest woman alive.

A/N: This is the end of this particular story, and I don't know if I plan on taking it any further. But hey, I might surprise you guys with something a little more dramatic in the future. We'll have to wait and see.


End file.
